IWO strengthens Eastern Germany’s role in shaping the national hydrogen economy

Building a competitive hydrogen economy requires coordinated action by the federal government, state governments, industry, and academia. As the joint voice of the six East German federal states, the Initiative for Hydrogen in East Germany (IWO) advocates for the region’s strengths to be purposefully integrated into the national process.

At the 2nd Federal-State Conference on Hydrogen, the IWO participated actively alongside representatives from its member states: Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia.

In technical workshops and discussions with representatives of the federal ministries, the IWO put forward key priorities: establishing standardized processes and building a robust, cross-state infrastructure. These topics are critical for a successful market ramp-up and for firmly anchoring East Germany as a strong innovation hub.

Participation in the conference also allowed IWO to engage directly with the federal ministries and Germany’s 16 states, and to learn more about best practices from other regions of the country. This strengthens the initiative’s role as a central hub that brings together regional perspectives and actively advances the expansion of the hydrogen economy.